Vulnerable
by SecondAlternateLieutenant
Summary: This started out fluffy but got a little angsty and I made Makorra cry again. Sorry.


As soon as he saw her face, he knew he was in trouble.

"We don't talk." Korra determined, her arms crossed as she faced him, looking annoyed as ever. Mako stared at her for a second; trying to will himself not to argue with her, but that accusation hit him hard.

"What do you mean we don't talk?" Mako kept his voice steady, but the meaning was there. Annoyance.

"I mean we don't talk!" Korra didn't seem to have a great explanation. "We used to talk all the time together, we used to just lay in bed together and talk. We don't do that, you're always working."

"I have to work." Mako shot back, patience worn thin from multiple long shifts. "If we're going to be anywhere near ready for when the baby comes, I have to work. I'm sorry, I don't like it either, but that's life." He frowned at her and she crossed her arms tighter over the bulge growing on her abdomen. "You're still working."

"Not as much." Korra snapped, intent on keeping this fight going. "And not nearly as much as you are. You know, this might not be so bad if you'd tell me you loved me once and a while."

"I do tell you." Mako's defenses flew up, all sensitivity he may have had for her current hormonal state had been flung out the window. Korra snorted derisively and rolled her eyes, turning to leave the conversation. "I tell you." He insisted.

"Whatever, I'm done." Korra gave him the royal wave off and he glared at her.

"Fine, then so am I." Mako shoved his feet into his shoes and pulled on his coat.

"Where are you going?" Korra demanded, and Mako felt a jolt of guilt and satisfaction at the note of fear in her voice. After antagonizing him, let her feel a little bad for a while.

"Out." He replied the one word just before the door clicked behind him.

As soon as he was out in the cold night air he regretted being too harsh with her. She was his wife, his _pregnant_ wife; she needed him to be supportive, to put up with her insane hormonal swings while she went through the physical stress of bearing their child. But God she got under his skin so well. She always had. Since they met she'd been able to get under his skin and irritate the hell out of him, both accidentally and whenever she wanted to annoy him. Today she'd wanted to pick a fight, and had been very successful.

Unfortunately, she had a point. Mako shoved his hands deep in his pockets and buried his face in the familiar red scarf while he walked through the streets. Cooling his temper had to come before he could go back and see his wife. If she'd cooled hers, they'd likely manage to have an adult conversation, but for now, they needed the time to cool off.

But he told her he loved her. Mako frowned at that thought. He tried to tell her, anyway. The words weren't always easy to find, so he tried to do things for her and for the baby. One of those things was taking more hours at work so they could save up, and she could take some time to just be a mom for a few weeks after the baby was born. Not like she got paid for being the Avatar, but people tended to give her gifts when she went places, and they'd been able to furnish their apartment with most of them, and Korra had a wardrobe filled with clothing she'd never wear. After learning about her pregnancy, dozens of baby clothes had been arriving, and their child would be well dressed, boy or girl, for the first two years of their life.

But they had time together. Just last week they'd, oh maybe that was two weeks ago. Three? Mako frowned at the thought. He told Korra he loved her.

It was almost surprising to find himself at his brother's door. Like his feet had carried him to the person who could help him. But he wasn't used to asking Bolin for help with anything. He hated relying on other people. Sighing heavily, he knocked on the door and smiled at the crashes inside that preceded the door opening.

"Mako!" Bolin beamed at his brother before recognizing the strain. "Everything ok?"

"It will be." Mako sighed. "Have some time?"

"Sure." Bolin backed up and let his brother in. "Want some tea?"

"Sounds good." Mako rubbed his hands together. Despite his gloves, it was cold outside.

"Is Korra home?" Bolin asked after bringing the tea from the kitchen to his living room where his brother was waiting for him.

"Yeah." Mako frowned for a second. "When we were growing up, I told you I loved you, right?"

"Sure." Bolin nodded, immediately understanding Mako and Korra had fought. It wasn't rare that they'd argue, they had personalities that both liked to challenge the other, and one or both would come and ask for advice every once and a while.

"I mean really told you." Mako frowned.

"Well, not in words all the time." Bolin shrugged one shoulder. "You took care of me; you were always making sure I'd stay out of trouble. You made sure I ate even though you didn't always get any." Bolin's voice lowered and he saw Mako stiffen.

"You knew about that?" His voice was soft, almost awkward.

"I realized it later." Bolin sighed. "You always put me first. You didn't have to say you loved me, I always knew. But you know, women need to hear it." Mako didn't respond, though he was a little surprised that Bolin figured it out so easily. He shouldn't have been, but he was.

"It's not always easy to say."

"Tell her anyway." Bolin nodded immediately. "She's not just a woman, she's pregnant, Mako, she wants to hear it."

"How do you know all this?" Mako sipped his tea to try and calm himself further. "When did you get good with women?"

"Well, watching you mess up was informative." Bolin grinned at Mako's scowl. "Then the years of dating I've done since then have been helpful."

"When you liked Korra, you didn't…"

"No." Bolin cut it off before Mako could finish it. "I had a crush on her; I liked her for a lot of surface reasons at first. Then getting to know her, I thought she was pretty great. But I was thinking too much like a teenager, I think." He'd had years of coming to terms with this to think back and rationalize it. "I wanted a girlfriend, I didn't stop to consider her feelings or how valuable she is as a friend." Bolin smiled. "Other that you, Korra is my best friend."

"I like that." Mako nodded slowly. "I like that you're friends."

"Me too." Bolin nodded honestly. "It hurt what happened, but I was sixteen." Bolin laughed at the decade plus that had passed since then. "We're off topic." He pointed at his brother. "Korra needs to hear you say that you love her. She knows you do, but you have to remind her once and a while."

"It's hard to say." Mako frowned at his tea, as if the meaning of life could be found while staring intently into the cup.

"Because it makes you feel weak." Bolin nodded and rolled his eyes at the immediately annoyed look Mako gave him. "You hate feeling weak. You hate opening yourself up to other people, something you only ever did with me until Korra came along. Hell, you never opened up to Asami at all, a wonder why that didn't work out."

"That was different." Mako muttered defensively.

"Like hell it was." Bolin rolled his eyes. "If you were willing to open yourself up and actually accept your emotions, that whole thing probably wouldn't have happened."

"I don't like you being smart." Mako determined as he sipped his tea with a dark look on his face.

"I'm in touch with my emotions." Bolin grinned. "Or should I say that I'm simply not afraid of feeling things."

"I'm not afraid of feelings." Mako knew he was lying as the words passed his lips. "I love Korra."

"I know you do." Bolin nodded. "You'd do anything for her and the baby, but you need to just tell her you love her once and a while. Sometimes the words mean more."

"But empty words…"

"They aren't empty." Bolin cut his brother off, a little annoyed at the moment. "Yes, all the things you do for her are important, don't stop doing them, but so is just telling her you love her. Say it at least once a day, even if you don't feel like it."

"Seriously, when did you learn all this?" Mako looked at his brother oddly.

"I'm an observer." Bolin shrugged with a smile on his face. "And Korra's talked to me to."

"That's it." Mako sighed. "How you know what my wife wants."

"She's just frustrated, Mako." Bolin felt some sympathy for his brother, knowing their background and what Mako had gone through raising him by himself, but that was a long time ago. It was long past time Mako tell his wife how he was feeling once and a while. "She loves you."

"I know." Mako drained his cup. "Thanks. For the tea and for talking." He smiled at his brother. "Things are different, aren't they?"

"Is it a bad thing?" Bolin grinned right back as Mako shook his head and came in for a brotherly hug. "Let me know if she forgives you."

Mako scowled at his brother and left without responding, walking slowly back to the apartment he and Korra had shared for years now. His temper was cooled; he knew that Korra had a valid reason to be mad at him, but not to be as angry as she had been. The hormones had done that to her, but he couldn't really blame her for that, or tell her it was hormones because she'd kill him.

He opened the door to the apartment and moved quietly because the entire place was dark. He'd only been gone an hour at the most, but it looked like she'd gone to bed. Slowly, as to not make any noise to wake her, Mako stripped off his outer clothes and shoes before going into their bedroom and stripping down to his underwear. Korra was laying on their bed, on her side, her belly facing the middle of the bed. Her position told him she was already feeling less angry at him, so he climbed in and settled as easily as possible and tried not to move the mattress too much. He watched her face for a few seconds before sliding down and gently pressing one hand on her belly.

"I love you." He whispered to his child. "I love your Mommy too, I really do." He sighed and rested his head on his shoulder and pressed his lips gently to Korra's belly. "It's hard to say it." Apparently he was spilling his guts to his unborn child now. "I never had anyone to say it to except Bolin, and I was so busy trying to keep us alive, telling him I loved him wasn't a priority. It doesn't mean I didn't, he knows that." Mako felt himself releasing it all. "It's not easy for me. I hope I can tell you though."

The thought of not telling his child he loved it was almost horrifying. "I love you, and I'm going to tell you that every day you're growing up. I don't want you ever doubting that I love you." Mako closed his eyes as a tear made its way down his cheek. The emotions were overwhelming, and he pressed his face into his child for comfort. He was teetering on the edge of letting it all out when he felt a hand on the back of his head. He pulled away and slid up to see Korra crying too and he couldn't stop himself. He pressed his face into her and cried.

It was hard to pinpoint the emotional turmoil of what was going on. Everything he'd been through with Bolin after losing their parents. Losing their parents itself. The struggle with his feelings for both Asami and Korra. Frustration about not knowing what to do for the first time in his life. Falling in love with Korra. Trying to make his relationship with Korra work despite their demanding jobs. Living with her and the usual struggles of a newly married couple. Finding out that they were going to be parents. Accepting that soon he was going to be a father and that little person would rely on him for everything. Including telling him or her how much he loved them.

"Korra." Mako slid up after a while to press his forehead against hers. "I love you, Korra, so much."

"I know." Her voice was rough. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"No, you were right." Mako pulled her into his arms, entwining her limbs with his. "It's hard though."

"It's ok." Korra's voice was muffled against his chest. "I know you love me."

"I should tell you." Mako allowed. "I do love you, so I should tell you."

"I don't need you to say it all the time, just every now and then." Korra pressed her face into his chest. "I need to hear it, Mako."

"Ok." Mako agreed. "I will, I promise, I'll say it." He held her close, both arms wrapped around her while her stomach pressed against his, their baby safely nestled between them.


End file.
